Following confirmation of the start of retail reopening for England and Wales on 12th April, M&S has unviled its plans to reopen all Clothing & Home space across its stores, offering quality, style & value products alongside flexible, easy and rewarding in-store experiences so that customers can Shop Your Way at M&S. M&S’s ‘Bring On’ campaign will put a spotlight on the products customers are searching for online as social events start to return and the summer season kicks off - from relaxed tailoring in soft fabrics perfect for outdoor gatherings to denim staples offering an easy update to your everyday style. The campaign will also extend across M&S Food as well, highlighting customer favourites including 3 for €11.56 (£10) on Grill and summer specials like the Cherry Blossom Gin Liqueur - giving customers no reason not to Bring on the BBQ.
M&S’s Head of Clothing & Home for Retail, Alison Grainger shares her shopping predictions: “We know lots of customers are excited about dressing up for picnics and alfresco dining with friends & family and our stores will be bursting with tiered dresses, pretty tops and new seasonal denim. Whilst it’s no longer all just about loungewear, as you would expect we’re going to be dedicating more space to casualwear in our shops than pre-pandemic. In-store customers will also see wardrobe-essentials redefined - with relaxed t-shirts and sweats which have now become mainstays updated in fresh, vibrant colours. Optimistic slogan tops have been popular online, and I think lots of customers will pick these up when they visit us in-store.”
A number of changes will come into effect alongside the reopening, but some elements of the old shopping experience will remain. Customers at 250 stores that sell lingerie can choose from a contact-free bra fit from their expert colleagues or a virtual at-home appointment with an M&S expert via video. The retailer is offering a cut-off at 20:00 hours for free next-day pick up at over 800 stores via Click & Collect. The chain will also be trialling innovations like express collection and digital check-in at around twenty stores to make collecting orders easier. Nearly 100 M&S Cafes will be open for takeaway, with 14 also open for ‘dine-out’ in dedicated outdoor seating areas – perfect for a spot of breakfast or lunch as the warmer weather returns. Available across furniture and beauty, M&S is connecting customers via video appointment with specialist colleagues in-store at M&S White City, one of its five digital trials stores, offering great service to customers to help inform purchases before visiting stores, as well as shopping from home. Additionally, M&S is expanding its popular on-the-spot payment service Pay With Me – introduced in the run-up to Christmas to help bust queues at 200 of its busiest food halls.
Sacha Berendji, M&S Retail, Ops & Property Director said: “The last year has accelerated many of the trends and shopping patterns we were seeing pre-crisis, and we have responded as part of our Never the Same Again transformation programme to build a shopping experience that’s fit for the future and one that enables customers to shop the way they want. As we start to reopen our Clothing & Home space, we’ve pulled out all the stops to deliver the stylish, relevant products our customers are searching for, and help deliver a more flexible, easier and rewarding shopping experience for our customers so that they have everything they need to be ready to bring on the summer.”
